Masked Singer (UK) Short Stories

It's Not All Doom and Gloom

*The penultimate show is just hours away. The tour masks are on their way to the next venue. Badger is taking a nap on the bus sleepers. He turns in his sleep, breathing uneasy*
………………………..

The dream plays in his head again, the lightning, the attacking snakes and the paralysis unsettling the poor biker weasel

Only now something was different. There was a scream, specifically a woman’s scream

The snakes stop attacking Badger as they slither over to their next victim, Badger sits himself up and turns to see Squirrel. He immediately stands up and tries to run over to her.

Badger: Squirrel!! RUN!!

But it was too late. Something was grabbing Badger, stopping him from getting closer to Squirrel. All he could do was watch her get attacked and bitten by the same snakes that had attacked him. She cries out in fear and pain. She tries to fight them off, crawling over to Badger as best as she could. The snakes start to drag her into a pit, and her clothes start to get torn off, like her sleeves. One giant snake slithers around Squirrel and rolls itself up like a piece of rope.

Squirrel: Please, help!!

Badger fights this force off of him and falls to the ground. Whatever was holding him back, he couldn’t see it. Badger lifts himself up as a chilling whisper leering passed his ears.

Because of you…

Badger: Who said that?! Show yourself!!

The whispering grew louder, making Badger jolt and frantically look around his surroundings.

Because of you!

Badger: What could you possibly want from me?!

The wind starts to pick up, blowing off Badger’s hat as he scrambles to get it back on. He manages to get closer to Squirrel, as she cries out in agony from being bitten and dragged into the ground. Badger tries to grab her hand as she reaches out for his. She grabs his hand for a moment.

Badger: I’ve got you.

Something wraps around Badger’s leg, teeth seeping through. Badger cries out in pain, letting go of Squirrel. He tries his best to scramble to grab her again, but it’s too late. Squirrel is pulled down into an abyss.

Everything goes black.

Badger is left by himself, the snakes have slithered away into nothing, the storm faded into a gust of wind. With one blow and the wind is gone. Badger looks down at his paws, breathing uneasily. He feels something wet and almost sticky on his palms. He turns his paws over. All he could see was red. Not even his black paw beans were visible beyond the blood as it filled up his paws, dripping in between his fingers and claws as the fur on his paws and face started to stand on end.

A faint shrieking starts to give a cool chill along Badger’s spine as it grows closer and louder.
……………………….
*Badger jolts himself awake, panting*

Badger: NO!!!!

*Badger checks himself all over and tries to calm himself down. He looks down at his paws, turning them over looking at his now clipped claws, the officials have allowed for him to keep a majority length of his claws so long as the ends do not cause concern for anyone at risk*

*Robin slowly slides the door open after he knocks*

Robin: Hey Badge- Whoa, did I wake you? Sorry.

Badger: Uh… N-no, I just woke up…